


Uneasy Lies The Head That Wears The Crown

by Oricalle



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Comedy, Crimson Flower Route, F/F, Light-Hearted, Playing Fast And Loose With Building Construction, Post-Canon, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:42:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25877620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oricalle/pseuds/Oricalle
Summary: Even Edelgard sometimes struggles with the weight of her duty.Both figuratively and on her head.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 14
Kudos: 103





	Uneasy Lies The Head That Wears The Crown

From a palace window, Emperor Edelgard Hresvelg looked over the city of Enbarr. Watching the way the streets were packed with people living out carefree days made it difficult to believe that until a mere two years ago, the continent was embroiled in war. Tranquility had become the new normal in the city of Enbarr, and this was as normal an afternoon as any.

Unfortunately for Edelgard, the palace too, was having a very normal sort of day. A tower of documents sat treacherously close to the edge of her desk, a small pile of used inkwells was collecting in the corner, and these few moments of peace were the first she had known since she got out of bed in the morning.

To preserve what she saw out there, she reminded herself. That was the reason she had devoted her life to her duty, and would continue to do so.

A loud banging at her office door broke the peace entirely.

“Hubert, could you get that?” Edelgard hurried back behind her desk, not wanting any ministers to catch her slacking, even if only for a few seconds. From his position in the corner of the room, the shadowy spymaster rose to his feet, walking in front of the wide oak doors and slowly opening them.

“Hello, El.”

Ducking under Hubert’s arm, Byleth barreled into the room. The soft smile on her face was reflected perfectly by the slight glower on Hubert’s.

“Your Majesty...your wife is here. Shall I let her in?”

Chuckling to herself, Edelgard gestured towards Byleth as she addressed her morose friend. “It’s quite alright, Hubert. I am always glad to see her.” 

Even though she was midway through signing a sheaf of trade agreements, the Emperor turned her cheek just a tad to receive the incoming kiss from her wife. When Byleth leaned back, she seemed no less pleased.

“I was hoping we could have lunch together today. Dorothea’s back from Derdriu, we should go see her.”

Looking into those big blue eyes and saying “no” was a skill that Edelgard still hadn’t quite mastered, but she had to do her best. With a frown, she gently shook her head, averting her gaze slightly from Byleth’s pout.

“I’m afraid that’s not possible today. I have an upcoming meeting with the committee in charge of the Merceus conversion project. I’ll be spending most of today discussing the budget with them. After that, I need to perform a personal inspection of Enbarr’s western expansion, and of course there’s the weekly check-in with the city steward about emergency provisions.” By the end of her last sentence, Edelgard felt as if she’d already developed a migraine. She glanced up at Hubert, who gave her a curt nod. It was his version of sympathy.

Byleth nodded. “I see.”

As her wife visibly deflated, Edelgard felt a renewed sense of frustration at the upcoming day. It wasn’t as if she’d not always known being Emperor would take so much work, but work had never bothered her before. Perhaps one of the curses of finding someone you care so deeply for, she mused, was that everything that keeps you from them begins to feel that much more agonizing. 

A deep sigh escaped as the Emperor stood, pacing to the edge of the office. With a groan, she tipped her head against the ancient walls.

To her surprise, the wall tipped back.

Dust filled the air as a crack formed in the construction, pebbles of worn stone crumbling to the floor at Edelgard’s feet. Stumbling forward, she felt something _snap_ as her head lurched further in the wall’s direction.

She could hear a gasp and the rush of footsteps as her wife and retainer rushed to her side.

“Your majesty! Are you unharmed?” Hubert’s voice was strained with surprise.

“I’m quite alright! This wall must have had a loose tile, I’ll simply need to meet with one of the maids about getting it replaced.” Burying the annoyance of having to schedule _yet another_ meeting deep in her gut, Edelgard pulled away from the wall.

Or, at least, she tried to. Something was holding her firmly in place.

“El, your crown…”

A horrific truth crept its way into Edelgard’s mind. She sighed.

“Byleth?”

“Yes?”

“Are my horns stuck in the wall?”

“...Yes.”

Before Edelgard’s courtly facade cracked and a rather undignified swear slipped out, Hubert swooped in for the rescue.

“Your Majesty, I fear I must remind you that you have an important meeting to attend shortly.”

“I am aware, Hubert,” she replied, annoyance tinging her tone. “I am also stuck in a wall.”

Blindly scrambling with her hands, Edelgard brought her fingers up to the latches of the crown, dipping her fingers into the various loops and crevasses and pulling every which way. The royal headgear was a relic from an ancient time, when the Emperors of Adrestia were accompanied at all times by a cadre of servants. It took three of the castle staff to help her get it on in the morning, even now.

Thus it was, perhaps, not the sort of thing she could undo on her own, with her field of vision locked squarely on her own feet.

“I shall fetch Your Majesty’s assistants.” Hubert declared.

“Unfortunately, they’re in the city market right now. There’s no time!” A sense of panic welled up in Edelgard’s chest, but if she had experience in anything, it was making plans even in a state of desperation. “Hubert, guard the door. No one is to enter.”

“At once.” The dark mage strode out of the room, opening the door so narrowly that even he had some difficulty squeezing his way out.

“Byleth, darling? I know I’ve told you that your strength is what saved me, but right now I may mean that in a much more literal sense. Please pull this crown off.”

Straining to turn her head far enough to look her wife in the eyes, Edelgard could see, albeit faintly and at a rather strange angle, a familiar look of determination cross Byleth’s face. Her lips were set in a thin grimace, her eyebrows slanted as she focused.

“El, I am going to get that thing off of your head now.”

Roughly five excruciating minutes of Byleth desperately pulling at every exposed clasp and surface on the crown as Edelgard cheered her on later, it had become apparent that the ancient Adrestians were incredible craftspeople. Fodlan’s champion, the greatest hero of the war, she who had faced down a demigod, lay utterly defeated on the carpet, her eyes meeting her wife’s.

“I’m...not sure what to do now.” Byleth huffed.

Edelgard frowned, her arms hanging uselessly at her sides. This was it. The Empire would never recover. They would find her here, and she would die of sheer embarrassment, and when she made it to whatever afterlife may have existed, she would have to look all ten of her siblings, Ladislava, Randolph, and all her fallen schoolmates in the eyes and tell them the truth.

Edelgard von Hresvelg was defeated by shoddy wall construction and a ridiculous metal hat.

In her shame, she could almost see the executioner’s blade, humming with the power of a Relic, hovering right next to her cheek, lightly touching against it and oh Goddess it was really there.

“BYLETH?!” Edelgard didn’t like to shout, but this felt like the correct occasion. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

There she stood, brandishing the Sword of the Creator, a grim look set upon her face. “I’m going to cut the crown off!” she declared, and Edelgard nearly fainted on the spot.

“Dearest, _please_. Let’s not get drastic. I’ll look just as foolish if I arrive at the council with half of my hair shaved away.” To Edelgard’s great relief, this seemed to dissuade the emergency haircut, as Byleth sheathed her blade and stood with a pout upon her face.

“I do believe I have one more idea.”

Receiving a hero’s welcome at the gates of Enbarr Palace wasn’t something Dorothea ever expected, but she certainly wasn’t going to complain. Even as she made her way towards Edelgard’s chambers, several guards and officials smiled and waved her way, which she happily returned. In sharp contrast to the war, it seemed that there wasn’t a frown in sight, except, of course, for the one on the face of the man outside the Emperor’s office.

“Hubie! Guess who’s ba-a-ck!” Grinning widely, she went in for a hug, only to have the mage sidestep her.

“It is good to see you are unharmed.” Hubert dryly replied, though she caught the hint of a smile on his face.

“We’ll catch up later, I’m afraid I’m in character today.” She flashed him a winning smile. “I’m the gallant knight, here to whisk the princess and her lovely wife away from the terrible beast known as “Responsiblity”!”

At her declaration, Hubert’s face went paler than usual. He moved quickly in front of the doorknob, opening a gloved palm towards Dorothea. “I fear Her Majesty is otherwise occupied at the moment.”

It wasn’t as if Dorothea hadn’t anticipated this. She knew Hubert meant well, but he and Edelgard had such a tendency to overwork themselves. She stepped nearer to him, head shaking.

“Hubie, dear, I’m afraid I’m not going to take no for an answer! Step aside.”

The sparks of magic danced between Hubert’s fingers as he raised an eyebrow. “Do not toy with me, Dorothea.”

The songstress returned his glare, each of them refusing to back down. After a few moments, Dorothea threw her hands up in the air.

“Fine, fine. I’ll wait my turn.” she sighed. With that, she began to walk away, and Hubert breathed a sigh of relief.

His peace was short-lived, as Dorothea turned on her heel and rushed him, grinning wide as she brushed the surprised sorcerer out of the way and wrenched open the door before her. 

“Edie dear! I’ve returned!”

Before her was a curious sight.

Edelgard’s crown seemed to be stuck in the wall, and the Emperor was being held parallel to the ground. Byleth had a hold of each of Edelgard’s legs under her shoulders, and seemed to be trying to pull the horizontal woman out of her crown as Edelgard pushed off the wall. Or they were, moments ago. Now both women were simply staring at Dorothea, a soft smile growing on Byleth’s face as Edelgard’s swiftly turned the color of her robes.

“I…uh...” Dorothea stammered, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. “Do you...need some more private time?”

“Just…” Edelgard sighed. “Just get Hubert. All four of us should be able to handle this. Probably.”

The effort was concluded quickly enough for Emperor Edelgard von Hresvelg to arrive at the council chambers with entire seconds to spare.

And so another day passed in the city of Enbarr, two years after the war that had changed the world. As the sun set above its stone spires, citizens packed up their stalls, finished their business, and trekked home to their families. From above, Edelgard looked upon the crowds from the palace balcony, a gentle smile on her face as Dorothea handed her a glass of wine.

“I’m thankful those negotiations were finished fast enough for you to join us tonight, Edie.” The songstress grinned, the wind gently tousling her hair as she peered over the city. Edelgard drank for a moment, a smile playing the edges of her lips.

“One of the many advantages of having commoners in office, Dorothea. They haven’t been taught from childhood to never stop talking.” 

Dorothea chuckled, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “But enough about Ferdinand.”

“ _Dorothea!_ ”

As Edelgard laughed, a warm pair of arms encircled her from behind, and she leaned back into Byleth’s embrace. The faint heartbeat against her back was enough to soothe the Emperor, and she leaned back to rest her head under her wife’s chin. In this moment, looking out on the city she loved and in the arms of the woman she adored, everything felt perfect.

“El?”

“Yes, dear one?”

“There’s mortar in your hair.”

Well. Nearly perfect.

**Author's Note:**

> So the other day QueenOfHz said "what if edelgard got her horns caught in something and byleth had to untangle them before anyone saw" and I said to myself "yeah that sounds like a good 1000+ word concept" and now we have this fic. I hope very much that you liked it!
> 
> Feedback is always welcome and appreciated. Have a wonderful day!


End file.
